Chapter 9 #2
“They’re not going to shoot her. If they did, they’d be taking a head shot and you’d be dead.
They’re going to snatch Lara and possibly Ryan too.
If we had a baby on hand to play Paulette, they’d probably try and get her too.
We’re not. The feds wanted us to use a doll for that, but it’s too risky since they’re trying to grab people for hostages.
We’ll go without the baby and let them think she’s at home. ”
“How do they think they’re getting away with all this with the feds onto them?”
“They have fresh guys doing the operation—which goes to our advantage since none of them have seen Lara or Shana—and they blame it on the Russians or the terrorist cell by leaving a calling card of some type.” Dane sounded confident.
It’s what he would do if he were Max the Ax.
He didn’t know Sal as well except by reputation.
But he’d dealt with Maxim Xavier in person before.
“So you have a crystal ball that tells you all this?” Ryan said.
“No—that’s why we’re making sure there’s no clean shot. We’re choreographing this to within a millimeter. Neither of you will take one step where a sniper can get you. We’re putting up bulletproof shields inside all the church windows.”
“Lucky thing Reverend Hall is cooperating,” Shana said.
He grinned at her dig. He liked it when she got feisty. Another reason he loved her.
Wherever the hell that thought came from, he needed to shut it down pronto.
“Father Donahue is standing in for Reverend Hall.” Dane turned to Toly and said, “I couldn’t talk him out of it.” Toly nodded but his face was grim. Donahue was his long-lost son and Dane knew he cherished the priest all the more for his willingness to put himself in danger.
“We have three days to carry on the charade.”
“Lara and I have an appointment with the caterer and the baker for the cake,” Ryan said.
“I know,” Dane smiled. “Shana is now your Lara. Tomorrow you’re meeting with Ronnie at The Shark’s Table and Sassy, right here at the pie shop—she’s expanding her repertoire to cakes for the occasion. She’s working on the new brochure now.”
“Let me guess—these are your people.” Some of the tension faded from Ryan’s voice.
“I’ll be accompanying you wherever you go,” Acer said. “I’ll be the old man who sometimes looks confused or the fat tourist.”
“What about you?” Shana asked Dane.
“I’m too hot.” He grinned. She scoffed.
Cap said, “Oh brother.”
“Seriously, I’m staying low. Acer is undercover. We’re acting like we’re out of danger and not afraid.” Dane paused. “There will be one final public appearance.”
Toly looked at him with his mouth pressed to a flat line and his jaw tense.
“We’ll have a rehearsal dinner at The Lucky Parrot and everyone will be there. Including the feds undercover.”
“That’s taking a chance—” Cap said.
“It is possible Max and Sal could make a move then, but it’ll be too public and less controlled an environment than a church. If I were planning their operation, I wouldn’t do it.”
“There you go again with the crystal ball,” Shana said.
Cap said, “I’ll be there plainclothes, but I’m well known as the State Police Captain. It doesn’t fit their pattern to hit in the open with a police presence. We should be fine.”
“It’s all risky. There’s no way around it.” Dane looked around at everyone and wished he were wrong.
“You’re sure Max and Sal would go to all this trouble?” Ryan sounded part skeptical, part hopeful.
“I’m afraid so.”
“He’s gone to a lot of trouble to set up a legitimate cover. Hired our firm. Has a going concern with money laundering. It’ll all be blown.”
“He doesn’t know that. He’s sending his men. He doesn’t know that his men will be coming back with the wrong people—and bringing the feds with them.”
“As far as Max and Sal know, their revenge is all on the QT,” Cap said. “They’ll have set up alibis. We’re monitoring them with a fresh set of ears compliments of Acer and company and we already have indications.”
“Indications?” Ryan said.
Dane said, “They’re careful when they speak on the phone, so we have to interpret their words.”
“Why wouldn’t they just snatch Toly?” Ryan said. “He’s the one they want revenge on, the one with the information and contacts.”
“Max and Sal think the feds were watching Toly and that’s what got them into trouble,” Dane said. “Once they have their insurance, they’re no longer worried about Toly running to the feds. I’m quoting Max almost verbatim.”
Acer said, “They might even risk forcing Toly’s hand to supply the arms depending on how desperate they are.”
“I doubt it. They would be too worried about the feds and then they would be risking their legitimate front operation,” Dane said.
“So we’ve put them out of business?” Ryan asked.
“No. We have indications they’re looking for Toly’s replacement—Toly will help the feds with a list of possibles. If I can work it right, we may be able to buy Toly another reprieve from federal prosecution.”
“This is fine,” Toly waved his hands. “Enough talk of dangerous business.”
Dane turned and walked toward the stairs and gave a loud whistle. Within three seconds Sassy appeared at the top of the staircase. “Time for pie?”
Dane managed it somehow so that Shana rode back to the shack with him in the Jeep. Toly took Ryan and he had no idea about Acer. Dane felt oddly free. Like he was being watched, but it somehow didn’t count.
“I think I know what it must be like to be a reality TV star,” Shana said. “It’s an odd sensation to feel like I’m being monitored every step of the way.”
He flashed her a look and felt a rush of heat run through him. She’d read his mind and it turned him on. But he kept it to himself.
He said, “Get used to it.”
She shrugged. He had no idea how she’d read his mind. It was exciting and comforting at the same time.
“Have you heard from David? Have Lara and Paulette arrived safely home yet?”
He shook his head.
“You’ve been closed-mouthed about this—why?”
“I’ve broken a cardinal rule.”
“Involving your mother.”
“Involving too many people I don’t want to lose.” He glanced over at her sitting next to him.
“Tell me about the operation.” It was an obvious deflection, but he owed her the explanation. He reminded himself again that she was his partner in a dangerous business. She was not his girl. Not except for fleeting moments, no matter how much he felt like she was his.
“David and Grace posed as tourists dressed as an older couple. It’s one of their favorites. They do it well. They met Lara and Paulette at the carousel in Oak Bluffs in the crowd. I had Ronnie Ryan watching.”
Shana smiled at this. She was always on him to give Ronnie good assignments.
“Viktor drove Lara and Paulette. This was the tricky part. While the car was parked in the garage, they hid in the back seat. Easy enough for Lara, but she had to somehow contain Paulette on the floor of the back seat and keep her relatively quiet.”
“How did she do it?”
“I’m not sure, but Lara said she’d take care of it—said something about a low dose of Benadryl or cold medicine or something.
Lara wore a wig and dressed Paulette as a boy.
After they met with David and Grace they all went in a rental car that Ronnie had in the lot for them and Grace drove them to the airport.
David was flying them in a private plane supplied by—”
“Let me guess—the Gables?”
“My new favorite ex-clients. That’s the last report I got—from Ronnie. As far as I know they’re in the air enroute to the Berkshires, where my mother will pick them up at Great Barrington Airport and take them to her home.”
“When do you expect to hear from them?”
Dane didn’t want to think about it. His mother would call. It was still too early. Every time he thought about his mother calling the dull ache between his shoulder blades ratcheted up to a screaming pain in punishment for his sin of breaking the cardinal rule.
He changed the subject before Shana read his mind again.
“I want to use an unknown FBI agent to play Lara. It’s too chancy for you—you’re a notorious figure. Max and Sal know you”
“You said yourself they’re going to send new people in for the snatch operation—”
“Doesn’t mean they won’t be monitoring. I wouldn’t be surprised if we weren’t being filmed with a live feed to the Evil Duo’s headquarters.”
She laughed. “I needed that.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
“I know. That’s when you’re at your funniest.”